R.I.P., Smith Barney

Smith Barney: They make money the old-fashioned way: They eeeeaaarn it.

Morgan Stanley is pondering a name change for its Morgan Stanley Smith Barney brokerage unit, according to Deal Journal colleague Brett Philbin. The possible new brand would drop the “Smith Barney” name from Wall Street’s largest retail brokerage. In the future, Regular Joe investor could find himself signing up with a financial adviser at “Morgan Stanley Global Wealth Advisors.” Doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it?

While the name change makes sense given Morgan Stanley’s controlling interest in the joint venture with Citigroup, sending a Wall Street moniker to the scrap heap is an occasion worthy of some overly lachrymose words.